825 Years of Dynasty Capital
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Official estimates come from Forbes, Bloomberg, UBS Global Wealth Report, and academic sources. These track publicly disclosed assets, known holdings, and reported valuations. Global wealth in 2025 is estimated at ~$500 trillion (UBS).
Extrapolated estimates model what family wealth would be if dynasties maintained their peak share of global wealth through compound growth. This accounts for: the opacity of private trusts and foundations, assets held through layers of corporate structures, the fact that families who built financial systems have structural advantages in compounding wealth, and that philanthropy (Rockefeller Foundation, etc.) can serve as tax-efficient wealth preservation.
Key assumption: If a family controlled X% of global wealth at their peak, conservative compounding at 4-6% real returns (below market average of 7-10%) would maintain or grow that share. The gap between this model and official figures represents either genuine wealth dispersal OR hidden holdings. The truth is likely somewhere in between.
Historical wealth is estimated using GDP-share methods. For example, the Fuggers controlled ~2% of European GDP c.1525; Augustus Caesar personally owned ~20% of Roman GDP (~30% of world GDP). These are converted to 2025-equivalent dollars.
Caveat: All pre-modern wealth estimates are highly speculative. This visualization is an analytical exercise, not a definitive accounting. The "extrapolated" view is intentionally provocative — it shows what's possible, not what's proven.
Sources: UBS Global Wealth Report 2025, Forbes Wealthiest Families, Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Celebrity Net Worth, Global Research, HistorySnob, The Tontine Coffee-House (Fugger research), Wikipedia, Europeana.